Intelligence Report: Beavers No Fisherman

The corruption trial of Cook County Commissioner William Beavers doesn't begin until next week.

County Commissioner Beavers says he wouldn't help the FBI try to catch bigger fish in Cook County's political waters and claims that the government retaliated by charging him with corruption. Beavers and his lawyers say they have proof and that the case should be dropped.

Federal authorities said Thursday that Beavers is not the target of a vindictive prosecution.

From the moment he was indicted last February, Beavers has insisted that the government was out to get him, not with Blackhawk helicopters, but with a vindictive prosecution.

Now, just four days before trial, Beavers' lawyers filed a motion to drop the charges, saying that the government has provided a letter and now admits that Beavers was asked to cooperate in a larger investigation.

The letter they say quotes an FBI agent as saying the names Stroger and Daley were named when Beavers was questioned, but that Beavers wouldn't cooperate and now the case should be dropped because it is a vindictive prosecution.

At the federal building in Chicago late Thursday afternoon, prosecutors quickly filed a response denying that there case is vindictive and should be dropped, but admitting that an FBI agent does recall two names being mentioned when Beavers was interviewed, the names of public officials. Beavers, they say, was asked if he had information on the officials, and he declined, saying he is "not a stool pigeon."

From Otto Kerner, to Dan Walker, George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich and Derrick Smith, and all the alderman, commissioners, legislators, judges and lawyers who have been inducted into Illinois' corruption hall of shame over the years, it would be difficult to find a single one who believes they should be there. At one time or another they all cry foul and say they were unfairly targeted.

In the Beavers case, there will be another court hearing on all this Friday morning.